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Exhibition Features Works by Michael Ayrton

An exhibition of works by the British sculptor Michael Ayrton will open in the gallery of the De Pree Art Center at Hope College on Monday, Jan. 13.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The exhibition coincides with the publication of the book "Myth and the Creative Process: Michael Ayrton and the Myth of Daedalus," written by Dr. Jacob Nyenhuis of the Hope College faculty and published by Wayne State University Press. Nyenhuis retired in 2001 as provost and professor of classics at Hope, and currently serves as director of the college's A.C. Van Raalte Institute. He curated the exhibition collaboratively with Dr. Jack Wilson, who is former director of the De Pree gallery and professor emeritus of art history.

The public is invited to the reception and the lectures. Admission is free.

Ayrton, who lived from 1921 to 1975, began as a painter in a group called the "Neo-Romantic" artists. In the 1950s, Ayrton began to work increasingly in bronze sculpture, owing in part to his association with Henry Moore. He had over 70 solo exhibitions worldwide.

The exhibition at Hope focuses on Ayrton's interest in Greek mythology. At the same time that he began to work in sculpture, he visited Cumae in Greece. The experience which fostered a longstanding fascination with Greek myths, especially those surrounding the Minotaur, the Labyrinth and the Labyrinth's creator, Daedalus. The exhibition includes bronze and mixed-media sculptures, prints, drawings, and paintings.

The exhibition continues through Friday, Feb. 7.

The De Pree Art Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The regular gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is handicapped accessible. Additional information may be obtained by calling the department of art at (616) 395-7500.